. Robert Scott Pierce P.E., Western Carolina University Robert Scott Pierce is an Assistant Professor of Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina Univer- sity. He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1993. Prior to his teaching career, he spent 14 years in industry designing automated equipment.Prof. Sudhir Kaul, Western Carolina University Dr. Kaul is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Western Carolina University. His re- search interests include Fracture Diagnostics, Structural Dynamics and Control, and Motorcycle Dynam- ics. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2018 Promoting Innovation in a Junior-Level, Multidisciplinary
emotional intelligence, disciplineand self- awareness to successfullyserve in a mentorship role. Infollowing terms, the Paul PeckScholars progressed through coursesfocused on organizational behavior, Figure 1- Course Sequencecommunication, management, andresearch opportunities. Thecoordinators have also worked with the Steinbright Career Development Center (Steinbright) tocreate specialized leadership-driven internship experiences for the Scholars. Steinbright preparesstudents for their co-op search, and provides professional development opportunities for studentsthroughout their college careers. See Figure 1.Program Outcomes
data architectures and support infrastructures are both inefficient and incompletein most cases. Looking from the other side, it also takes months, if not years, to bring computerscientists and engineers up-to-speed with particular needs of health informatics related data andinformatics tasks.Initiatives to introduce informatics and computer science skills for every student have beenaround for a while. 9,10,11,12,13 As these initiatives target future generations, we still need to act forthe current and upcoming generation of engineering students who may be interested in a career inhealth and/or medical sciences. In an effort to help address the existing skills gap, we have lookedat the existing undergraduate majors and minors across the United
this, but they often emphasize multidisciplinary teams at the end of the program in asenior design class. However, this develops the mentality in students that there will always besomeone else to do the part that they are not comfortable with. As a result, engineering studentshave a tendency to lack comfort in cross-disciplinary topics (topics outside of their chosendiscipline), despite taking fundamental courses in such topics. All engineers specialize as they progress through their education and their career;however, many find that they are never comfortable with the fundamentals of cross-disciplinarytopics. For example, mechanical engineers often receive some basic training in circuits and aresomewhat competent in the area, but they
14% Construction Management 15% 3 Business 11% Accountancy Finance 14% 4 Games, Interactive Media, 10% Health/Medical 6% and Mobile 5 Education 9% Games, Interactive Media 5% and MobileConnecting Fate Data with Initial PathwaysAbove we discussed the pathways that we are developing to share with students. The pre-medical pathway, for example, will demonstrate to the 18% of women and 6% of men who leavethat they can remain in engineering and prepare for medical graduate work or careers. Similarly,the education pathway will address those who are departing our
manned exploration of the red planet and subsequent colonization efforts byboth public and private entities [5] NASA’s journey into air and space has not only deepenedhumankind’s understanding of the universe but it has also inspired and motivated millions ofstudents to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Since1994, NASA has sponsored an annual competition for high school and college students to design,build, and race human-powered mars rovers. These collapsible vehicles must navigate simulatedouter space terrain, engaging students and providing valuable experiences in the technologies andconcepts that will be needed in future exploration missions [6] In April 2018, the team from theUniversity of the
and off-campus specialists. Nonmajor graduatecredit.Who should consider it?This proposed program is designed to help students who ‚ Are not engineering majors but are interested in understanding “how things work” ‚ Are looking at directorship, management, technical marketing, sales, and related careers in an industry that continues to involve more technology ‚ Are possibly interested in public policy—decisions impacting government, education, industry, religious institutions, health care ‚ Are thinking about working in bioengineering areas but not on the technical sideThe engineering studies minor is designed to be an effective minor to supplement the student’snon-engineering degree program.Program
disks, Braille, and image enhancement.Career and Vocational Support Services: assistance with career planning and development;opportunities for work site experiences, interviewing skills, requesting reasonable, on-the-jobaccommodations; assistance with career counseling and raised awareness about meeting thedemands of a chosen occupation.Culture of Acceptance: The barrier-free architecture and accessible academic programs haveenabled WSU to attract a large number of students, staff and faculty with disabilities, totaling anacademic community of well over 1000 individuals. In exit polls of graduating students, manystudents without disabilities comment that one of the most important lessons they learned oncampus was to understand and accept
the constraints that had to be overcome to make thisproject a reality. While the data set is small and results only preliminary, the outcome assessmentis promising.IntroductionThese engineering programs began in 2000 with the first EAC/ABET accredited graduatingclasses in Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering matriculating in 2004. The mission ofall three undergraduate-only programs is to deliver a project-based curriculum with a focus onpreparing graduates for careers as engineering practitioners. Hands-on project experiences areintegrated throughout each curriculum in order to build problem solving and team skills that willbe valuable to the graduates’ early career growth. In addition, all three programs are offeredjointly with
, providing people withmeaningful and sustaining careers while improving environmental quality.Community outreach activitiesGTECH has an extensive array of community programs that not only train local residents ingreen jobs, but also involve the community in beautifying their vacant lots. The UPitt teamconducts research on only a handful of GTECH sites, and when possible participates in thevolunteer days for those sites.Community programs created by GTECH are very dependant on the community. For pastprojects, community partners have included Green Teams (self-selected residents interested inneighborhood greening and sustainability), Student Conservation Association Students,Pittsburgh Cares volunteer groups, among others. The majority of community
andwomen, and a stronger civic ethic among students.14,15,16Students, particularly women and underrepresented groups, cite the ability to make a differencein society as one of the main reasons they choose careers in science and engineering.17 However,the impact engineers have on society is more commonly viewed from a corporate standpoint(for-profit companies develop products and technologies that positively impact society), and thusSTEM service-learning has traditionally been integrated from the corporate perspective; e.g.products to benefit society are designed as part of a course. Community-based service learningopportunities offer alternative ways for science and engineering students to become involved andmake a difference in their own
AC 2012-3515: UTILIZING PROJECT-BASED MULTIDISCIPLINARY DE-SIGN ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE STEM EDUCATIONDr. Andy Shaojin Zhang, New York City College of Technology Andy S. Zhang earned his master’s in mechanical engineering from the City College of New York in 1987 and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in 1995. Zhang’s research area includes materials testing, product design and prototyping, CAD/CAE, and mechatronics. From 2007 to 2009, Zhang served as a member of the Pre-engineering Advisory Commission of Advisory Council for Career and Technical Education of NYC Department of Education, which was designed to help high schools to enhance existing technology
major with biomedical and applied mathematics minors. She is involved with American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Society of Women Engineers. She is also a member of the varsity swim team and a lifeguard on campus. She was the female freshman recipient of the 2010 DeBow Freed Award for Outstanding Leadership at ONU for excellence in academics, athletics, and leadership in various organizations and projects. Her career goals include obtaining a job in research and development or project management in the field of biomedical engineering to help bridge the gap between scientific discovery and public availability
approaches in problem-solving and communication of ideas.IntroductionThis paper discusses an ongoing, successful effort to create a culture of art at a STEM-centereduniversity, not only within the engineering curriculum but also throughout campus life and itsphysical spaces.In what follows, we will offer an overview of the educational model of our university and thequestions and concerns we seek to address. We then offer detailed information of three differentlines of inquiry we have pursued to gather data on the current culture and mindset guidingpedagogical and career decisions: a 2013-14 longitudinal study which examined four cohorts ofhonors students, a 2019 focus group study, and a 2021 student/faculty survey. The results presenta fairly
needs. • We should help our students to prepare themselves to be makers, discoverers or along this spectrum, and we should teach engineering fundamentals as a foundation for careers both in research and in practice. • We should build our education around the way our students best learn, engaging them in their learning, and implementing pilots to understand the desirable balance of classroom, project and digital education. • In view of the speed of scientific and technological development, we should teach students the NEET Ways of Thinking, how to think, and how to learn more effectively by themselves.We should be prepared to embark on a bold change, with widespread impact at MIT andpotentially
, includingbiomedical instrumentation and research methods; an introduction to the UCLA campus and itsbiomedical and life and physical science academic programs; mentoring by UCLA sciencefaculty; individual academic advising by a science counselor; and special academic andprofessional development workshops.23 The Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program at theUniversity of Massachusetts at Boston (UMB), and Bunker Hill and Roxbury CommunityColleges also has the objective of advancing the careers of community college students whowant to pursue a biomedical research career. The program provides community college studentspractical training in lab techniques, after which they are placed in supportive UMB andassociated laboratory working environments where they
acommunity college. Each applicant to the program is interviewed by the Program Director andwrites an essay. Preferred qualifications include a growth mindset and an interest in project-basedand self-directed learning (subjectively evaluated via the interview). A cohort of Junior 1 learners(J1) starts each semester; total enrollment is capped at 50 learners in upper division (J1 to Senior2) per year. The incoming student engineers are not cream of the crop students. They are bright toaverage mostly local students who become high-quality engineers in just two years by doingengineering work in an intensive learning environment, supported by professors who care a greatdeal about learners’ readiness for a successful entry-level job placement and career
professional careers] as designers or managers”15This multidisciplinary awareness builds system safety literacy which can help engineeringstudents later in their careers contribute to accident prevention by seeking or facilitatingcoordination between themselves (the technical specialists), management, and workers/operatorsover system safety issues. In other words, it will help them seek and engage in productiveconversations pertaining to accident prevention and system safety with different stakeholdersfrom different backgrounds.It was noted in the Introduction of this work that system accidents, also termed “organizationalaccidents”, have an intrinsic organizational contribution to their occurrence beyond the technicaland human error
, career services and employers are also reviewed.Lastly, documented feedback from students is also provided that give their perspective on theprogram.Introduction:In the fall of 2011 Lawrence Technological University launched a new Bachelor of Science inRobotics Engineering degree. This degree is currently managed and administered in the A. LeonLinton Department of Mechanical Engineering at Lawrence Tech, and was done so because themechanical engineering department has the most experience at the university with administeringnew engineering programs, has the most faculty involved in robotics research, and was formally Page 24.1195.2asked by the
do feedback and assessment instruments assist or hinder effective VMC development?Unmet Communication Needs in EngineeringDiscipline-specific vision statements highlight the importance of communication skills forengineers, and VMC is positioned to occupy a more central role in engineering curricula [4-6].The need for engineering graduates to improve communication skills has been emphasized inmultiple disciplines for several decades [7]. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)Vision 2025 suggests that “communications knowledge and skills are embedded in every civilengineer’s education and encourage their continued enhancement throughout every civilengineer’s career” [8]. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Vision
joined East Carolina University as an Assistant Professor in August, 2005. Prior to this appointment, he served as a Research Engineer in China from 1995 to 2001. His research interests include wearable medical devices, telehealthcare, bioinstrumentation, control systems, and biosignal processing. His educational research interests are laboratory/project-driven learning and integration of research into undergraduate education. Dr. Yao is a member of the American Society of Engineering Education.Paul Kauffmann, East Carolina University Paul J. Kauffmann is Professor and Chair in the Department of Engineering at East Carolina University. His industry career included positions as Plant Manager
undergraduate and six graduate programs and has a student population of three hundred students. Dr. Viswanathan is an educator, researcher and administrator with more than twenty-five years of industrial and academic experience encompassing engineering and environmental consulting, research and development, and technology development. His career experience includes teaching at the University level, conducting fundamental research, and developing continuing educational courses. Page 12.73.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 A Multidisciplinary Master’s Program in Homeland Security and
2005 Rigorous Research in Engineering Education evaluator. Dr. Borrego holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University. Her current research interests center around interdisciplinary collaboration in engineering and engineering education, including studies of the collaborative relationships between engineers and education researchers. She was recently awarded a CAREER grant from NSF to study interdisciplinarity in engineering graduate programs nationwide. Page 12.263.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Assessing and Improving a
thatintend to foster open communication, trust, and a willingness to solve problems, and (4) retakingthe survey to investigate if students perceptions have changed. Results of the study show that,through the interdisciplinary senior project and the structured activities planned, students’perceptions of each other’s disciplines, roles, and stereotypes changed, and they were able togain a better understanding and appreciation of each other’s disciplines, and work collaborativelytowards the project goals. The study, thus, shows the potential that incorporating sucheducational activities and experiences in students’ learning environment could positively affecttheir careers making them ready for the increasing trend of integration of designer and
. However, as aninherently interdisciplinary activity, no single discipline provides the breadth demanded byrobotics in the future. Truly smart robots rely on information processing, decision systems andartificial intelligence (computer science), sensors, computing platforms, and communications(electrical engineering) and actuators, linkages, and mechatronics (mechanical engineering).Thus, a broad technical education is needed. In effect, robotics engineers must use systemsthinking, even early in their careers. Given the above motivations for a robotics degree, a teamof WPI faculty members from the departments of Computer Science, Electrical & Computer1 No precise and widely-agreed upon definitions exist for either Mechatronics or Robotics. We
the summer camp.Nanotechnology Summer CampThe nanotechnology summer camp was initiated in Summer 2014 and was offered again inSummer 2015. The camp is weeklong (Monday through Friday 9AM-4PM) and is open byapplication to high school juniors and seniors. The students have the option to be residential ornon-residential. Enrollment data showed that 5 out of the 16 participants are from out of state(31%). The goals of the camp are: (1) to stimulate the students’ interest in the area ofnanotechnology, (2) to educate students (and parents) about the opportunities for industrial andresearch careers in this field, and (3) to attract students to the minor in nanotechnology whichwas recently launched at Lawrence Tech. During the five days of the summer
daily lifePlease comment on how you expect this material to integrate with your studies, career, and/or life. OpenendedDemographicsPlease choose a description that best fits. Radio button: Undergraduate Freshman, UndergraduateSophomore, Undergraduate Junior, Undergraduate Senior,1st year Master’s, 2nd year Master’s, PhD prequalifiers, PhD post qualifiers, Auditing, OtherWhat class do you think you should have taken prior this class? Open endedWhat classes do you plan on taking after this class? Open endedIf you would like to enter the drawing for your choice of two models of tablets (Apple ipad or DellLatitude 10 as sold at the CMU bookstore), please enter your email address here: Open ended
learning and help develop new understanding, knowledge, and skills. Thestudents get ample opportunity to develop theoretical understanding, by means of hands-onlearning, and apply the knowledge to designing, building, modeling, simulation, andexperimental testing of real-world engineering problems. It has been found, based on industryfeedback, that with the involvement in multidisciplinary and real-world projects, studentsdemonstrate increased readiness for career in the industry. Students have also shown increasedinterest to graduate degrees.The paper also describes the strategies to retain, recruit, and train lower level students for themultidisciplinary project, which is expected to continue for several years into the future withfunding support
Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado Boulderinaugurated a flexible, customizable and design-focused multidisciplinary undergraduateengineering degree program, built on a common engineering core, with a hands-on engineeringdesign focus throughout all four years. Predicated upon the belief that students know what is bestto meet their own career and personal interest needs, the curriculum branches out so studentschoose many courses to pursue their individual passions. Different than the traditional restrictiveengineering curricular models that act as barriers to student migration into engineering programs,the curricular flexibility and choice in the Engineering Plus (e+) program makes transferring intothe program more navigable